DuPuis Management Area

NOTE: On certain hunting days the DuPuis property is closed to general use, which means all uses except hunting. Such uses include the auto tour, camping, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling and fishing. However, the visitors' center is open for scheduled lectures and visiting hours even when the property is closed for general use. Please check the DuPuis calendar link below for scheduled hunting dates.

Please Note:Dogs are not allowed in the DuPuis Management Area.

The DuPuis Management Area is a 21,875-acre multi-use natural area located in northwestern Palm Beach and southwestern Martin counties. The property is interspersed with numerous ponds, wet prairies, cypress domes, pine flatwoods and remnant Everglades marsh. The area provides miles of hiking and horseback trails, an equestrian center, graded vehicle roads, backpack and group campsites and seasonal hunting. DuPuis is far from urban areas, and its dark night sky lends itself to excellent stargazing.

At this site you can explore the visitors' center with interpretive displays, walk the nature trail and butterfly garden; fish from the partially covered pier; take a 15-mile, self-guided auto tour; picnic or enjoy primitive group and family camping. There are 22 miles of hiking trails, including a segment of the Ocean to Lake Trail (part of the Florida National Scenic Trail), and an equestrian campground with 40 miles of horseback riding trails. Special Saturday events or water resource programs are offered. Learn about these by calling (561) 924-5310.

Prior to District acquisition in 1986, the property was a ranch for Dutch white-belted cattle, sheep and goats. By 2001, more than 6,500 acres of wetlands on DuPuis were restored through a three-step program. Land managers plugged old drainage ditches, repaired a levee at the southern boundary to restore former Everglades marsh and reconnected a portion of the flow from the adjacent J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area.

Archeological sites of early American Indians date to 500 B.C. Much later, the Seminole Indians used the DuPuis region as a refuge during the Seminole Indian War of 1835, but living on the land proved difficult. Hundreds of starving Indians were captured and sent to Oklahoma. The area became known as "The Hungryland."

For More Information:Call DuPuis at (561) 924-5310 or SFWMD headquarters at (561) 686-8800, ext. 6635.

DuPuis Events

Discover the wonders of the sky during Astronomy Nights at the DuPuis Nature Center. DuPuis is an ideal spot for stargazing that offers an unparalleled view of celestial wonders because it is far enough away from any light pollution caused by urban and suburban development yet it is only a short 30-mile drive from Stuart. The DuPuis Nature Center hosts Astronomy Night twice per year in conjunction with the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society. During the event, the Astronomical Society provides a short lecture before hosting an interactive stargazing session. Multiple telescopes are set up so attendees of all ages can observe objects in outer space, gaze upon galaxies and contemplate other constellations.

Join us Saturday, Jan. 31, 6 to 9 p.m. as the bright moon will provide an opportunity for a closer look at its surface. Learn about the moon's history, phases and its relationship to our Earth through an entertaining lecture. Those interested in learning more about stargazing will have an opportunity to view stars, nebulas, planets and neighboring galaxies Saturday, March 14, 6 to 9 p.m. Both lectures will highlight the constellation Orion as we will be viewing the winter's night sky!

The event is free and open to the public and donations are encouraged to help support educational programming at DuPuis.

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker News

After years of preparatory work by land managers, on October 13 the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker was returned to the forest of the District's DuPuis Management Area located in Martin and Palm Beach Counties. In a cooperative venture by the District, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, five pair of juvenile woodpeckers will be released each year for five consecutive years to re-establish this native bird on DuPuis.

Directions

From southeast Florida: Take I-95 north to PGA Boulevard (S.R. 786). Go west on PGA Boulevard to S.R. 710. Go north for about 15 miles to Kanner Highway, S.R. 76. Take S.R. 76 seven miles west to DuPuis.

From Okeechobee, Pahokee and Belle Glade: Take U.S. 441 to Port Mayaca. (Good view of Lake Okeechobee from bridge.) Exit onto S.R. 76 and go three miles east to DuPuis.